2020 Land Rover Defender Final Phase Testing in Kenya!

It has been a long 67 years. The original Land Rover series debuted on 30th April at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show. The Defender we know today was phased out in early 2016 mainly because it did not meet safety standards for both occupants and pedestrians. It was introduced way back in 1983 when it was known as Land Rover “One Ten" and “Ninety”. There was also a longer wheelbase Land Rover “One Thirty". Despite having many engine, interior and external upgrades to keep up with the times, the Defender is an old vehicle. Albeit an old vehicle that is one of the best all-terrain vehicles ever produced.

The announcement for the all-new 2020 Defender was made on the 71st Anniversary of the original Land Rover. It is expected to make its much-anticipated public debut later this year in September.

With 5 years in development, the new Defender will blend rugged design with much needed upgrades in technology, safety and luxury. This newcomer will have to strike the difficult balance between off-road ability and on road refinement.

It’s on road manners are being perfected at the Nürburgring facility in Germany whereas its off-road credentials are being tested all over the world from the 10,000 ft altitude of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to the dunes of Dubai. Its final test though will be carried out in our very own country of Kenya!

Land Rover has announced plans for the new Defender to complete final phase field testing at Borana Conservancy in Kenya as part of Land Rover’s on-going partnership with Tusk Trust. The uniquely camouflaged prototype (below) will engage in activities such as towing heavy loads, wading through rivers and carrying supplies across 14,000-hectares of unforgiving terrain. All this after passing 45,000 individual tests in some of the most extreme environments on earth.

Despite ditching its robust ladder-frame chassis for a lighter and more refined car-like monocoque chassis, the British brand claims the new Defender will be the "most capable off-road Land Rover vehicle ever".

It is hard to know from the spy shots if the boxy shape will remain or if it will have more smoothed off edges like the current generation Discovery. Hopefully it will be a unique and desirable looking design to appeal to purists and newcomers to the brand. The very short overhangs in the front and rear look promising.

A leaked image on Twitter exposed the reborn Defenders dash in full, showing a large infotainment screen, a digital instrument binnacle and a chunky multi-function steering wheel. It is a huge step change from the dated early 90s look of the previous Defender.

Speculated technical highlights include independent front and rear air suspension as found under the current Discovery as well as an aluminum monocoque architecture as used in the current full-sized Discovery and Range Rover models. As for the engines, prototype models have been running both 2.0-litre diesel and petrol engines for the moment, but it is expected that a variety of the current generation Land Rover engines will make it into the Defender.

We shall wait to see the new Defender in September 2019. Meanwhile we will continue to enjoy the unique character of the Series III Defender. Here we are exploring the beautiful scenery of Kibos in Western Kenya in 2016.